Synchronized
by xXPhantazmXx
Summary: After receiving a summons from the king, Alexandra Markovich finds herself dragged from her quaint home in England and into the events that started the bloody French Revolution. Being summoned on the brink of a revolution causes her to become a person of interest and she can't seem to get away from a certain, mysterious assassin. Assassins Creed: Unity Arno X OC
1. Chapter 1

vvv-Author's Note -vvv

Hello, and thank you for giving this story a try! I don't particularly like lengthy author's comments, but I just thought I'd start off by explaining a few things before you continue reading.

1. I see this a lot in other stories, but this IS my first fanfiction ever. I've been a part of this community for years before even making an account. I love reading fics but was never confident enough to try my hand at my own.

2. That being said, I'm not asking for you guys to go easy on me, but please no flaming etc. Constructive criticism is more than welcome! (I'm not sure how betas work but if someone is talented at proofreading, I would appreciate the help!)

3. I am no historian. I tried to do as much research as I could about the French Revolution, but I'm not an expert and I have tweaked a lot of things to better fit the timeline of this story. This story is more character centered rather then focusing on the actual events of the French Revolution itself. Also along those lines, I don't speak French but for the sake of the story, we'll just say they're speaking it.

4. The game itself comes out in October, meaning I (and probably you unless you secretly work for Ubisoft or are reading this in the future) have never played this game. Everything I've come up with for this story is based on the very short trailers and game play Demos I was able to find. The only description I could find of Arno himself was his age and that he's brash, charismatic, and apparently very stealthy (I don't even know what he really looks like under his hood yet!). I'm building his character on that basis so once the game comes out he'll probably be a lot different then the one I've created.

5. And last but not least, This story will be in the heroine's POV only. Mainly because I don't know much about Arno or how the Assassins and Templars work in this setting, and neither does she.

Also this story is rated M for a reason.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoy this story.

^^^-Author's Note - ^^^

_-Paris, France 1789-_

Alexandra Markovich trudged through one of the many grand entrances of Paris sweaty, sleep deprived, and utterly lost. She found it strange that there were no guards posted at the gates. She was supposed to find a soldier, and show him the letter of summons written by the King himself along with the ring her mother had given her before she had grown sick and passed away just two years prior. _Why wasn't anything easy? She was to show up, find a soldier, and then be escorted safely to the King._ She had spent the majority of her life's earnings just getting to the city from her modest home back in England. She only carried with her a small satchel secured by a strap over her shoulder, filled with a couple sets of travel clothes and some food, along with all the money she currently still had after traveling by ship and carriage all the way to Paris.

She ambled around the nearly deserted streets, wondering where everyone was. This was Paris after all, supposedly the most beautiful city in the entire world, and yet here she was standing in the middle of the streets surrounded by nothing save for a few haggard beggars, deteriorating buildings, and dusty air. This was not at all what she had been told Paris was like. She passed a a large window and caught a glimpse of herself. Her face was smudged with dirt and her grey eyes looked as weary as she felt. Her dark, auburn hair hadn't been properly brushed all day and was wildly tangling in the breeze. Sighing she tried to grasp all of the unruly strands of it and made a quick braid that would have been elegant had she had a brush.

A few shots of what sounded like gunfire rang off in the distance, startling Alex into scurrying off into the opposite direction. Her hand reached down to the hidden pocket sown into her travel skirts and clutched at the ring secured there. It was all she really had left of her mother and she felt better knowing it was still safe in her possession.

She was nearing the end of what seemed to be the main street when a group of disheveled men rounded the corner. Their clothing was torn and their faces were covered in dirt and grime, but they were running with urgency. A few of them rushed passed her, not even sparing her so much as a glance as they continued down the path she had just came from. A few of the slower ones approached her, all sorts of makeshift weapons in hand.

"Miss!" The man with an ax addressed her. "You are going the wrong way; everyone is meeting in the district's square. We need every able-bodied citizen to attend! Come, it has already begun," he said as he looped an arm around her waist and urged her back the way she had come. The other men followed suit, setting a brisk pace that she scrambled to keep up with.

"Pardon, but I'm not exactly a citizen," she protested, but it seemed he either didn't care or hadn't heard her and she wouldn't dare try to break free of his grasp. "I need to speak with a soldier," she tried again a little louder this time.

"Don't we all?" He scoffed "That's where we're going anyway, we've been planning this for weeks!"

"Planning what?" She hadn't even realized they had turned another corner. She began to hear a distant noise that grew louder with each step they took.

"Christ, Woman!" He huffed. "Were you dropped as a child? We're in the middle of a riot!"

That startled her. _Rioting? In Paris? What on Earth is going on?_ She definitely did not want to get stuck in something like that. The distant noise had now become a roar of voices. She couldn't imagine how many people were just around the corner, waving weapons and shouting. She needed to get out of here and fast. She hoped that using the King's name would intimidate these men into letting her go.

"Please, I must speak to a soldier," she began again, digging in her heels. "I have a letter of summons from the King himself. He will be expecting me. I must go to him."

He stopped abruptly placing a strong hand on each of her shoulders and took a closer look at her. She instantly regretted those words.

"You a fucking noble?" he spat, and for the first time since she'd met this man, she feared him. She tried to twist out of his grasp, but his hold on her was too tight.

"She must be important if she was summoned," one of the other men that had been walking alongside them reasoned.

"She said she was expected," another man carrying a sword shrugged. "Why not use her as trade-bait? They must be wantin' her, no?"

Alex's heart dropped. She tried desperately to escape and managed to duck out of his grasp only to be grabbed by one of the other men and hoisted off the ground. She slumped over the largest man's shoulders, too shocked to really do anything until she spotted one of the other men taking off his belt. Thinking the worst, she shrieked and tried to throw a few misguided punches but her wrists were caught and bound together by the thick, leather belt. She realized then that she wouldn't be getting out of this one and decided to conserve her energy and to keep her wits about her.

The men continued on, grumbling about food shortages and the royal family, but the shouting was so loud by now she could barely hear them. When they at last turned the corner Alex swiveled around on the man's shoulder to try to get a look at what all the commotion was about. It wasn't hard to miss. There were people everywhere, all holding some kind of weapon and angrily demanding food and lower taxes. Alex had never seen so many people in one place. They were packed in so tightly that she had to wonder what it would be like to be trampled.

As they got closer and began to pass a few of the members, no one seemed to even notice her. Two of the men that had accompanied them here ran ahead, weaving through the crowd leaving just the man with the ax and the man who was currently holding her.

A few more shots rang out, dangerously close, but Alex couldn't tell who had shot them from her position. The crowd went silent for a second before becoming even more chaotic, charging forward.

"Shit," the man with the ax bit out. "Quick set her over there, behind those crates, next to the wall. I need to get their attention." He pointed as he ran off towards the crowd.

Alex didn't know exactly who 'they' were but she was glad to finally be set upright again. A hand on her shoulder pushed down, gently at first and then much harder and she got the message. She sank to the ground, her arms in front of her still awkwardly bound. She was facing the direction they had come from, away from the crowd, with her back to a set of large crates.

It was then that she saw him. A heavily armed man under a hood of blue approached. He seemed to be making a bee line to whatever the crowd was after, but then his head swiveled in their direction and he abruptly changed course. She did not like the look of this man. In only a few, purposeful strides he was upon them.

"What is going on here?" he questioned, his voice low but demanding. He waved an arm in her direction and she saw the glint of steel on his wrist.

"She claims the King summoned her, we were planning on using her as trade bait of a sort. Her in exchange for food or something of the like." The man who had carried her answered. Alex thought she noted a hint of fear in his voice.

The man in blue stepped closer and she felt herself shrink back under his scrutinizing gaze. His hood covered a great deal of his face and she hated not being able to read his expression. In the end, the grim line of his lips was all she really needed to know that things would not be going well for her.

"Keep her here, I have a better use for her," he said shortly, not even looking at the man he was talking to. They had exchanged a few more words but Alex wasn't paying attention. A _better use for her? Like she was some sort of livestock to be sold at the market. To hell with that!_ She was about to stand and tell them exactly that when for the third time, gunfire rang out, only this time it wasn't a mere few shots. It continued to sound as screams burst out in answer. The man in blue lunged to the side, ending up right next to her with his back against the large crates, his torso twisted against the corner of them as he peeked around the edge.

"Stay here, I'll be back" he rasped, not even looking at her, before vaulting himself up the pile of crates and onto the nearest building. And then he was gone.

It was only then that she noticed the man he had been talking to, the man that had carried her here, was lying face down in a pool of his own blood. More gunfire rang out and she was sure she was one of the answering screams this time as she curled behind her makeshift wall, praying for protection. She wasn't sure what was happening people were running towards the gunfire just as people were trying to flee from it. She watched a woman get trampled by the chaos.

The gunfire seemed to be getting closer now, and more people seemed to be fleeing from it. She needed to get out. These wooden boxes wouldn't hold up against heavy artillery and she didn't want that man coming back for her. She rose on shaky knees and reached out for the sword still sheathed in the dead man's belt. She grabbed it with both hands, yanking it up and then positioned it over her bound wrists. The leather was thick and didn't cut easily, but adrenaline was coursing through her and she managed to at least loosen it enough for her to slip her wrists through.

She kept the sword awkwardly in one hand and she took off down the street. Alex turned down the first alleyway she came across, wanting to put as many walls between her and the gunfire. She turned down as many pathways and streets as she could, just trying to get as far away as she could. Only when she could no longer hear it did she stop and actually look around her.

The part of the city she was currently in looked quite a bit nicer then the section she had come from. Looking around she noticed she was in some sort of market district but the stands were empty and all the signs were labeled as 'closed.' At the end of this street was a grand church, the largest she'd ever seen. As she passed alleyways and streets, she started noticing more and more people scattered around. They were dressed much nicer and didn't look like they had just escaped a riot. Feeling out of place she set the bloodied sword against a building and left it behind.

There were still no signs of any soldiers around her, but at least things were calmer here. She must have been closer to the heart of the city now because the Seine River came into view. There still wasn't a large amount of people bustling about, but that could have been because the sun was beginning to set. Alex hadn't realized how long her little 'ordeal' had taken. She needed to get off the streets and into safety. She needed to hide from that man who would surely be looking for her by now, if he was even still alive.

She entered the first tavern she saw, deciding to lay low for a day or two before trying to find a way to reach the King. She was expected a day ago and she hoped they wouldn't mind the delay. The tavern had quite a few more people then she was expecting, and she hoped they still had room available. She spoke with a lovely woman, whose bosom was nearly spilling out of her corset, that sold her a key to an upstairs room for a few nights. After she thanked the woman she hurried up to her room, grateful that no one seemed to have paid any attention to her.

The room was small, but clean. It consisted of a single a moderately-sized bed, a small dresser, and a table with a set of candles that were lit and flickering, casting a golden glow on the room. There was a wooden wash basin in the corner, already filled with water and a washcloth hanging over the side. The room's single window was open and looked out over the river. The view was quite beautiful now that the sun had almost fully set. She tried to close the window, but it seemed to be jammed and wouldn't go all the way down. She supposed it was for the best anyways since it was late summer and still hot during the days. The breeze off the river would be welcome come morning and she was on the second story so it shouldn't be an issue. She still found herself drawing the curtains though, as if the thick cloth would keep out anyone who truly wanted in.

After spending a few minutes just sitting on her bed, she convinced herself that all was well, for now. She sighed deeply, feeling all of the stress and weariness from her long travel and the day's event begin to weigh her down. She resolved to use the basin to wash off what dirt she could and changed into a sleeping gown. Feeling satisfied and at least a bit cleaner she returned to the bed and ducked under the covers. It wasn't long until she drifted off.


	2. Chapter 2

-AUTHOR'S NOTE-

First of all, thank you for the wonderful reviews, I really appreciated them! I tried to make this chapter longer for you guys, but only managed to get about 1,000 more words than last time. I'm working on it though! Also, I'm on vacation currently and have very limited WiFi meaning the next chapter will take maybe two weeks :( Once I get home though, it should be getting updated fairly regularly.

-END-

_Ok, I need to go. It's now or never,_ Alex chanted in her head for what had to be the tenth time in the past two days. She was standing by her opened window, trying to spot a soldier, or a guard, or anyone who looked official, but she was convinced by now that there must not be any posted on this stretch of the city. Either that or the rioting was still going on.

On the morning of the first day, she was too scared to even go by the window, fearing she might see an angry mob waiting for her. By mid-afternoon she had mustered enough courage to peek through the side of the curtains and was strangely relieved to see what looked like ordinary people going about their everyday lives. Once evening rolled around, and the tavern below her began to liven up, she decided to do a bit of investigating.

She had visited the bar downstairs a couple of times, trying to overhear conversations on what was happening outside. Unlike the first time, she had gotten a few leers from the patrons and supposed it was due to the fact that she was actually cleaned up and dressed properly. Unfortunately, during her eavesdropping session, she learned that the royal family didn't even live in Paris, but in a palace just over ten miles away. So now she was stuck, trying to figure out a way to slip inconspicuously out of the city and find directions to this place. She was back to square one: Find a soldier.

The woman she had rented the room from had introduced herself as Camille, and was just about the only person she had spoken with for the past two days. Camille seemed genuinely good-hearted and sweet, but always managed to keep the rowdy men in check. She was strong and independent while maintaining her charming disposition which Alex appreciated and was perhaps even a bit envious of.

_ Alright, C'mon. Nothing is gonna happen, no one even knows who I am, _ she berated herself. She bit her lip, still desperately hoping fate would make things easier by sending a soldier her way. _Stop being such a coward and go find one. _With a deep sigh she drew her curtains closed and made her way downstairs.

It was late in the afternoon and the tavern was relatively empty. She found Camille towards the back, arranging various bottles of alcohol with an almost obsessive consistency. She meandered her way over, taking time to survey the few patrons that were there. As if fate was just trying to mess with her, the door leading outside opened suddenly, slamming against the wall as two rowdy, and possibly drunken, men stumbled through, chortling their way to an empty table.

Alex had nearly jumped out of her skin. She mentally kicked herself. She had never been this paranoid in her entire life and was acting like a spooked animal.

"Hey, watch it. Don't break my door!" Camille called out, although there was little anger in her voice and she hadn't even bothered turning around. Alex pulled up a stool, and gingerly sat down, leaning her elbows on the counter and placing her head atop her interlocking fingers. Camille tilted her head to the side, adjusting a bottle minutely.

"A little to the left," Alex advised. Surprisingly, Camille obliged, sliding the bottle over just a touch, her head still tilted.

"I think you're gonna need to put a different bottle up front, the label on that one isn't centered," Alex teased, even though the label looked perfect as far as she could tell.

"Mmm, you're right," Camille answered, setting that bottle aside altogether. "I'll just sell this one first. Was that you making all the ruckus Aleece?" Camille questioned, finally turning around to face her. Alex had introduced herself as just 'Alex,' but Camille had a habit of slightly changing people's names due to her foreign accent that no one seemed to be able to place.

Alex shook her head and then made it a point to look directly in the direction of where the two newcomers were. Camille followed her gaze.

"Hmm, I think I saw them in last night," Camille shrugged, eyeing the taller of the two. "I remember that one. Such a handsome face, I'm surprised he didn't get eaten alive by the women." Now it was Alex's turn to shrug.

"Aww, Aleece! Tell me something, why is it you've been here two nights and haven't yet taken a man to bed with you?" Camille switched the subject. "You could probably have any man you'd want with those cheekbones!" Alex tried to form a response, but Camille just kept babbling.

"-And that hair!" She crooned. "It's such a pretty color, it turns almost red in the sunlight. Have you noticed? You must let me style it someday... You've gone all quiet! Have I bored you?"

"Oh uh, n-no. Not at all. I was just thinking..." Alex wracked her brain, trying to formulate a plan. As much as she liked Camille, she really needed to find a way out of Paris.

"Thinking about a man?" She speculated, one dark eyebrow arched._ Yes, but not in the way you're insinuating, _Alex thought to herself, remembering the man under the blue hood. _C'mon, think! There's got to be a place where there are guards always posted that wouldn't be too weird to ask directions to. _ Maybe if she convinced Camille to go along, she would look less conspicuous. After all this time she still worried that man might be looking for her

"Actually," She began, an idea forming. "Would you mind taking me to the nearest market? I'm simply terrible with directions, and I was hoping to find a new pair of boots as mine are pretty worn form all the travel I've done." Camille's face brightened drastically before turning thoughtful for a second.

"Oh, I can't! It's already late afternoon, and we'll be getting guests soon. Pierre would never let me go this late!" Camille exclaimed, a pout on her lips. Alex was about to suggest waiting till morning, but Camille had already began to stalk off, probably in search of her boss.

Alex sighed and began to follow her but Camille waved a hand, signaling her to stay put. Guilt assailed her. Nerves chewed at her. Before she could think of something that didn't require ditching the only friend she had managed to make, said friend had returned grinning excitedly.

Apparently she had managed to convince her boss that they were in dire need of new cutlery.

x-X-x

In the end it was a good thing Camille had come along. This city had so many winding turns and the buildings were all so similar, it was a wonder how anyone knew their way around here. Alex would've been hopelessly lost on the nearly twenty-minute trek.

_Ok, so far so good, _she inwardly told herself, as they finally came upon what looked to be the market. It was more like a bazaar really; like organized chaos. There were shops and stalls lined up on either side of the walkway, with merchants almost desperately trying to get people to buy their wares. Horse-drawn carts carried all sorts of goods up and down the streets.

The market itself was smaller than Alex had hoped, but it was still bustling. There wasn't exactly a huge crowd of people, and it seemed like most of them were divided into clusters lined up around the food stands. Camille led the way, stopping at various stalls and all but digging through their merchandise. She talked nearly the whole time, but Alex was on a mission and only offered a few agreements or light conversation the whole time.

They had ended up next to an empty grain stand still surrounded by citizens trying to haggle some off the poor farmer. Alex was still trying to find some sort of official but she couldn't seem to concentrate in the mass of people. Camille had often mentioned food shortages but it was a whole different story seeing people in desperation like this. She needed to get away, and motioned to Camille, feigning interest in a jewelry stand near the outskirts of the market that they had passed on the way to their current location. On their way back, Alex noticed another cluster of people quickly forming a little ways in front of them. Angry shouting and shocked gasps seemed to be coming from them and they were all facing the same direction, looking at something on the ground.

Before she could get a closer look at things, Camille had taken her by the arm and ducked inside a doorway she hadn't even seen. Apparently there were indoor shops as well. All sorts of miscellaneous items lined the walls, and the shopkeeper looked more than thrilled to have visitors.

"I think," Camille began, but then seemed to mull over her words. "I think something bad just happened outside."

"What do you mean? What did you see?" Alex questioned, her voice raising an octave.

"It looks like someone was hurt or attacked, I saw a body on the ground. Could've just been a random brawl but I didn't want to take the chance."

Alex nodded, but was still curious. She edged her way to the window trying to get a glimpse as to what might be happening. The shouting seemed to have gotten a bit louder and perhaps even closer.

And then she saw what she had been looking for all this time run right past her.

Without so much as a second thought or even a word to Camille, Alex Flew out the entryway, chasing the soldier in blue and white, trying to get his attention. He rounded a building, fire arm drawn.

"Sir! Please wait!" Alex called after him but it was to no avail. She picked up her pace, not wanting to lose the only guard she had seen in days, and whirled around the corner, nearly tripping in the process before coming to a dead halt.

The first thing she saw was the soldier, and relief flooded through her, because the alley he had turned down was a dead end. But then she noticed he had his musket leveled up at a man scaling up the side of a building; a hooded man, clad in a rich green color. She couldn't see his face, but the last time she had seen a man move like that had been-

"Halt, right there!" The soldier warned. The man on the wall shifted abruptly, swinging his body sideways and twisting his head around to face them. Alex couldn't tell what he was holding onto, but whatever it was, he apparently only needed one arm to support the majority of his weight. His legs were angled below him, pushing against the wall to keep him steady. His free hand had drawn a pistol out of seemingly nowhere and had it aimed at the soldier in one fluid movement.

Alex stood frozen, eyes glued to the man on the wall. From her position, she could see his head tilt up and could feel his gaze on her now, even as his weapon was still aimed at the man on the ground. His clothing style bore such a striking resemblance to the other hooded man, perhaps it _was _him. She realized he could raise that gun a few inches and have it pointed at her in the blink of an eye. Before she had even made a conscious decision to, she was already fleeing back around the bend and into the cover of the crowd of people now gathered. A single gunshot fired and she had a sinking suspicion it wasn't the soldier's.

She tried to weave her way through them, to get back to Camille and convince her that they needed to leave, but it was difficult now that people had begun to panic at the sound of gunfire. Not knowing what else to do and wanting to avoid being trampled, she tried to just go with the flow of the crowd, but it was hard when the crowd wasn't exactly flowing in the same general direction.

Alex ended up being shoved into something solid. Her first thought was that it was a wall of some sort, but walls didn't have arms. A tight grip encircled her wrist and she was all but dragged through the remaining crowd. Once they were through the thick of it she finally looked up and was met with the back of a man hooded in blue. She knew it was _him._ Before she could demand to be released the grip loosened and then, oddly enough, lowered to her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" She screeched, her anger and confusion overshadowing the fear that laced through her. Without slowing his pace he gave a brisk tug that forced her to stumble up next to him instead of being at an arm's length away.

"You're being followed, don't make a scene" He nearly whispered, still walking, still not even sparing so much as a glance her way.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She hissed, trying to wrench her hand free. He released it this time in favor of taking her arm in his as a gentleman would take his lady's. _ What was with this guy?_

"Aleece!" She heard Camille call out and was about to turn and plead for her help when the grip on her arm became bruising and then abruptly loosened again. It was a warning. She had enough time to launch a glare in his direction before Camille was upon them.

"Are you ok? You bolted out that door so fast, I didn't even see which way you went! And then there was gunfire and I thought the worst!" Camille fussed.

"I can assure you, _Madame, _all is well," he said in a charming voice. He even went so far as to incline his head and shoulders in a small, gentlemanly bow. Alex was too stunned to react. Camille's face seemed to draw a blank, whatever she had been about to say seemed to die on her lips. It was as if she had just noticed the man.

"Oh, I just. Well I was worried. What was the rush anyways? You could have said something to me," Camille's voice sounded a bit hurt.

"Well I was—"

"A thousand pardons," The man cut Alex off sharply. "You may call me Victor, Aleece and I were good friends a few years ago. I was rushing to see the commotion that was going on and she came after me. We were just catching up now."

He was so smooth, so charismatic, but Alex caught the fact that he'd called her by Camille's nickname. She tried to read Camille's face, to see if she caught it too, but she didn't. In fact, it looked like Camille was putting different pieces together. She also noticed that he had said his name was Victor. _No that wasn't right. He said that she could call him Victor. _He was lying about the rest of his story, so there was a good chance that wasn't his name.

Alex chanced a glance up at the man, 'Victor' still holding her arm, trying to find a sort of identifiable characteristic, but she couldn't make out much above the nose. He seemed to feel her watching him and… smirked? She couldn't tell if he was looking at her, but she shifted her gaze back to Camille quickly.

"Oh, well perhaps you'd like catch up some more? Aleece has been staying at the tavern I work at." Camille suggested, a sly look in her dark eyes, and Alex suspected that there was a double standard in the way she said 'catch up.'

"Ahh yes, she told me. It's the one facing the river, I know the place. With your permission, I would escort you both back, there has been murder here." He sounded solemn. _Wait, how had he known where she was staying? Had he been watching her? _Alex's brows knit together in confusion.

"You two go on ahead," Camille proposed a knowing glint in her eyes. "I can take care of myself." _NO! _Alex inwardly panicked, her whole body going rigid. She didn't want to be left alone with this man. She wanted to say something, anything. She couldn't think of a way to tell Camille that this guy was bad news and that he was lying through his teeth. She couldn't do that though, not without risking him telling Camille the real reason she was here. If only she had more time, she could've figured a way out of this!

"If you insist," he inclined his head. He almost sounded pleased.

His grip was like iron as he turned and started walking again. _No, no, no, this wasn't happening. _She made a last ditch effort to convey her distress to Camille, but when she turned her head around, Camille was nodding giving her a thumbs up, and making lewd hand gestures. Alex would be getting no help from her tonight. Resigned, she accepted her fate, and would play along for the sake of Camille, for now. Alex highly doubted he was just 'escorting her to her room' out of safety.

As soon as they were out of sight from Camille, Alex began to struggle anew. He seemed unfazed by her attempts and just quickened his pace forcing her to focus more on keeping up then getting away. His brisk walk was much faster then the leisurely one she took to get to the market. He also seemed to know the streets a lot better, taking shortcuts through alleys and not even bothering to look at his surroundings.

He hadn't spoken a word since they had departed for her temporary home. It was like the calm before the storm. When the tavern came into view finally, he broke that silence.

"Go inside, and up to your room, I'll meet you there momentarily," he ordered. "Don't try to get anyone to help you, it will not go well for either of you."

Alex nodded absentmindedly, the threat not going unnoticed. He released her then and she hurried to the door.

She scrambled up the stairs and into her room, locking it behind her. She doubted it would do much against him but she liked the idea of only allowing him entrance on her terms. It also gave her a chance to grab a knife from her arrangement of cutlery and to hide her valuables. She was just taking her ring from her pocket, planning on hiding it in a shoe, when the window slid open… from the outside. She gasped, the ring still in her hand as she watched 'Victor' ease his way through her small window, while somehow looking graceful doing so.

A thousand thoughts flickered through her head as he rose to his full height, making her tiny room feel even smaller. _How had he known the window would open so easily? Or that this was her window to begin with? How had he even managed to climb up here in the first place? _

She held the knife at arm's length towards him. It was a poor weapon, more suited to buttering bread then slicing flesh, but it was her only option. She saw his lips twitch before an amused smirk ghosted across them.

"You don't really plan on using that do you?" He asked, his tone mocking. He took a step forward. She took two back, but then realized her back was already to a wall. He advanced on her, and before she had even gotten the chance to stab at him, he had caught her wrist. He eased the weapon out of her hand and expertly tossed it back onto the table. He didn't free her wrist.

"Relax, I just want to talk," he reasoned. She tried to shove at his chest with her free hand but only managed to drop her ring in the process. The clatter it made as it bounced off the wooden floors drew his attention. Without releasing his hold on her, he bent down to pick it up. He brought it to his face, turning it in his fingers.

It was a truly beautiful ring. Diamonds, sapphires, and tanzanite laid in a thick white gold band. It was a man's ring, much too wide for her or her mother's slender fingers. She could feel tension roll off of him, as his mode shifted. He shoved her into the wall, catching her other wrist and pressing his weight against her.

"Where did you get this?" he demanded, towering over her.

"From my mother!" she bit out. "Now give it back!"

"Why do you have a Templar ring? Is this why they were following you, or are you one of them?"

"One of what?" she nearly shouted. "The only person who has been following me seems to be you." She added angrily.

"Tell me the real reason you're in Paris, why would the King of all people summon you here?" How could she tell this man that the most hated man in the city, in all of France, was her father?

"I don't know," she answered. _Not a lie,_ she thought to herself.


End file.
